1 Broke Band
by RecklessPoet
Summary: A young musician walks into the Williamsburg Diner one day and invites the girls to watch his band perform. Both girls are intrigued by his manner and personality and decide to get closer to him, perhaps a little too close... If you enjoy this, please leave a review so I know what else you guys want to see as the story develops!
1. Coffee For One

"The storm isn't letting up," a drowsy Caroline observed without much interest. "It hasn't rained like this in ages."

Max, who was inspecting some dirt on one of the diner's windowsills, nodded dismissively. It was three in the afternoon and had been pouring since one that morning. The rain buffeted car roofs, tore small plants to pieces, washed garbage into flooded gutters and simply caused general mayhem. No one had been seen in the streets since the previous evening. Which also meant that there had been no customers in the diner. Max groaned.

"Slow day doesn't begin to describe this," she mumbled. "Stupid rain..."

"I don't see why we're still here. It's not like anyone is gonna show up," Caroline sighed. "No one is crazy enough to go out in a storm like this." As the words left the waitress' mouth the door to the diner slammed open and a large puddle formed on the floor. The sound of crashing water filled the room. A fairly tall man stepped into the puddle and pulled the door closed hurriedly. His grey hoodie and jeans were soaked and stuck to him like a second skin. He held rectangular leather case in his right hand. Max leaned over to Caroline and grinned.

"Guess we'd better offer no one over there a table."

There was no need for this as the man had already sat down, and was now attempting to dry his drenched case with an equally wet cloth he had produced from his back pocket. Max carefully stepped over the mini-lake that had entered with the diner's first customer of the day.

"Welcome to the Williamsburg Diner. What can I get you?" She asked.

The man looked up at her and pulled back his hood, revealing his face. Shortish, curled blonde hair that was once brushed into a side parting with a quiff dripped water onto the table. He had deep blue eyes that had a gentle quality to them gazed into Max's own eyes. The man had a handsome facial structure, with a strong jawline and a medium sized chin. His cheeks were dotted with light stubble. He stared up at Max as if he was trying to read her thoughts. She looked down at her notepad, breaking eye contact. The young man kept examining her.

"Can I take your order?" Max asked, with less confidence than before.

"Do you make coffee here?" The man's voice was strong, but had a comforting element to it.

"Well, I wouldn't go so far as to call it coffee but that's what the cook calls it." This comment made the man chuckle. He had a crooked smile that only appeared on the left side of his face.

"I'll just have some of that then. Anything that'll warm me up is perfect right now." Now it was Max's turn to laugh.

"Coming right up..." She stared at him in silent question.

"Kevin. And you are?"

"Max. Max Black," she turned back towards the counter, "Oleg, one coffee!" Max yelled. She sat in the empty seat facing Kevin and propped her head on her hands, balancing her elbows on the table.

"I haven't seen you around here before. Do you live here?" She asked.

"Nah, I just arrived here this afternoon. I'm from the UK."

"You don't have much of an accent. I mean, it's kinda there but not really."

"I've been travelling for a while now. The accent's disappeared a bit."

"Where've you been?"

"Well, I originally lived in South Africa, but I went to university in the UK. I started traveling two years ago. I've been to Australia, Japan, China, Germany, Wales, Russia, Italy, France and now the U.S."

"Wow. You've been around. Why-" Max was interrupted by Oleg.

"Max, this coffee is not going to deliver itself! That's your job!"

"Keep your shirt on, I'm coming!" She strutted over to the kitchen counter and collected the coffee, then returned to Kevin's table.

"Here's your coffee."

Kevin thanked her and took a sip. He cringed but it stayed down.

"Alright, maybe I was wrong when I said that anything was perfect." He stuck out his tongue.

"I warned you," Max said. "Why have you been travelling so much?" Kevin raised the case.

"My band. This is my guitar."

"You're in a band? Are you guys any good?"

"I can't answer that without any bias," Kevin smiled. "If I were to answer of course I'd say that we're good. Then you'd come to our performances and you'd buy our albums and all of that simply because I said that we were good," He sipped his coffee. "Instead, I'll tell you this: why not come see us perform and find out for yourself? Then you can have your own opinion on what we play and how we sound. What do you say?" Max thought for a moment. Then she shook her head.

"Sorry, but concerts aren't really my thing. Neither is music." Kevin nodded in understanding.

"Whatever you say. It's tomorrow in the hall down the street if you change your mind. Seven PM," Kevin put down his now empty coffee mug. "I hope you do," He added, smiling. "You might surprise yourself. Music is a magical thing. It changes people's lives, in ways big and small. Who knows..." His eyes glinted and he broke into a grin. "Anything can happen when it comes to music."

"Thanks," Max said, "but I don't think I will."

"Suit yourself. But I'll still be looking for you in the crowd." Max became annoyed.

"I won't be there. You're setting yourself up for disappointment."

"All the same, I hope to see you there. And I'll be looking for you. If you show up, I promise to do something totally crazy on stage."

Max sighed.

"Whatever. I'm not gonna be there so stop saying stuff like that. It's annoying."

Kevin smiled.

"Anything can happen when it comes to music." He repeated. Max rubbed her temples.

"Anything else I can get you?" She asked.

"The bill, please. And your telephone number if that isn't too forward of me."

"It is," Max scribbled her number on a napkin and gave it to Kevin before walking away to collect his bill. "But you're cute, so I'll give it to you anyway."

Kevin laughed and put the napkin into his guitar case. He didn't notice as a black guitar pick with a white heart on it fell onto the diner floor. With a glance over his shoulder to make sure no one was looking, he placed a twenty dollar bill into the table and slipped out, back into the rain.

"Here you-" Max scanned the diner for Kevin. "Go?" She picked up the twenty dollars and looked at the bill. The coffee had only cost two dollars fifty. She smiled and put the money into the cash register, pulling out her tip.

"That guy was stupid," Max said as she strutted over to Caroline waving her tip around. "He payed twenty bucks for a cup of coffee."

"He seemed really nice to me," her friend said. "And you seemed really friendly with him. Did you know each other?"

Max shook her head.

"Nah, he just... Interested me," She said as she stepped towards the table that Kevin had been sitting at. "That case was for his guitar. He's in a band."

"That's cool. Are they any good?"

"I asked. He told me to go to their concert tomorrow night and find out."

"We should do that! It sounds fun!"

"I told him I wasn't gonna go." Max spotted something shiny lying on the floor.

"Aw come on. It'd be fun! At least think about it."

Max bent over and picked up the guitar pick. She examined it quietly.

She looked at Caroline and sighed.

"Fine. I'll think about it. Only because you asked. And expect a no anyway." Caroline ran over and jumped into a bear-hug with a reluctant Max.

"Thank you! It's tomorrow, right? Better think quickly." Max barely noticed the hug, still scrutinising the pick.

"Yeah..." She mumbled. The rain was still pouring outside. The young women stared out into it and thought about the strange, crazy customer who had walked into their diner. She had never been struck by someone like him before. It bothered her.

"Come on," Caroline said, releasing Max. "Our shift's over. Let's go."

Max nodded and put the pick into her pocket. She would throw it away later. It didn't mean much. Just something a strange, crazy customer left in the diner. A strange, crazy, intriguing customer...


	2. After The Storm

Caroline gazed out of the window of the apartment, into the still pouring rain. The sky had become darker with the fall of evening. Her mind was wandering randomly but always found its way back to the stranger earlier that day.

"He was pretty good looking..." The blonde young woman mumbled. Max turned away from the T.V.

"Who was?" She asked. Caroline snapped out of her daze.

"Oh! Um, no one," She replied quickly. "Just some actor I saw in a movie recently." Max thought for a second, then smiled slyly.

"You were thinking about that guy in the diner, weren't you?" She teased. Caroline blushed profusely.

"I was not!" She retorted. Max began to giggle.

"Are you serious? Is this like a high-school crush kinda thing?" Max began to laugh louder. "You've never even spoken to the guy! You just saw him sit down and drink a cup of that stuff Oleg calls coffee!" Caroline crossed her arms.

"You're being a hypocrite. Look," she pointed at the black guitar pick in Max's palm. "You've been playing with that thing since we got back. Now tell me you haven't thought about him too." This time, Max blushed a little.

"Well... He... I... I guess he is kinda cute..." She mumbled. Caroline smiled in triumph. Then noticed how badly Max was actually blushing. She softened.

"Let's go to the concert," she said kindly. "It'll be fun. And you can leave if it isn't." Max looked up at her. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and regained her normal attitude.

"FINE. We'll go. But I'm leaving if I'm bored." She said grudgingly. Caroline hugged the girl.

"I'm going to bed. I agreed to go shopping with Sophie tomorrow and I need my energy." She released Max and walked away. Max sat and inspected the pick again. It was black and had a white heart in the centre on one side. A rough K was etched into the blank side.

 _Kevin..._ She thought. _What a weirdo..._ She put the pick on the couch arm and stood up. Then she went to bed.

When Max woke up Caroline had already left. It was late morning, so Max dragged herself out of bed and made a cup of coffee. Caroline hadn't said when she'd be back but the concert started at seven, so she'd obviously be back before then. Max rolled her eyes.

 _The concert..._

After some consideration, she decided to go to the local mall and browse, just to get her mind off of the stupid affair she was being dragged to that night. After showering and brushing her teeth, she headed out. As she stepped out into the overcast street, she paused to breathe in the wet smell that rain always left behind. Leaves scattered the streets and branches lay snapped beneath trees. It had been a heavy storm. Setting off at a brisk pace, Max began her walk. She thought. She thought about anything she could, anything except for that stupid guitarist. She couldn't find a reason to why she got so dizzy when she thought of him and it annoyed her to no end. Pushing Kevin to the back of her mind, she reached the large mall and headed inside. First she looked over some clothes that she liked, and then she smelled some perfume, but she didn't buy anything. As she was looking at the back of a CD, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Didn't think I'd be seeing you till tonight," it said.

She rolled her eyes and turned to face the man behind her.

"You know, you're really annoying."

"Annoying and friendly are two different things." Kevin replied. Max sighed.

"Is there something you want?"

"Lunch. There's a nice Asian takeout place right over there," Kevin pointed. "It'll be my treat." Despite her annoyance at Kevin's arrival, Max was slightly excited and she was blushing a little. She kept her composure.

"Fine, but this isn't a date. And I'm ordering the most expensive thing on the menu."

"Be my guest."

Max kept her word, although the meal she ordered was so massive that Kevin decided not to get his own food. Instead, he helped her finish the giant plate of food that took up half the small table. As they ate they laughed and smiled and spoke about nothing in particular. It was the most fun Max had had all day.

"So tell me," she said. "Why did you want to have lunch with me?" Kevin smiled and looked up thoughtfully.

"I'm not entirely sure. It may be bribery so that you feel obliged to come my concert," At this, Max rolled her eyes, "but... I think it's because you intrigue me. You're different to anyone I've ever met before. And I really want to find out more about you." Max felt herself blushing and looked away.

"Anyway," Kevin said as he checked his phone, "I need to get going. My band wants to have a practice before tonight. Our frontman is a bit paranoid." He stood up and pushed his chair in. Kevin waved at the mountain of leftovers.

"You keep the food. Just make sure you finish it before it goes off. I'll see you tonight, I hope," he chuckled. Then he gave Max a wink.

"Cheers." And he walked away. For a while, Max sat, thinking. Then she sighed, and shook her head.

"Why the hell is he so nice?"


	3. Crowd Surfing

"… A deniaaaaaaaaaaal!" The man's voice barely held the last line of Smells Like Teen Spirit as his band played the final chord in unison. His vocal chords strained and he held his head high in an attempt to control the cracking note. Kurt Cobain had been good at that. Luckily, so was Ben Kellen, frontman for Lost In Translation. Ben was just taller than average height and had messy blonde hair. On drums, Teagan Williams, a tall, muscular man, with short black hair and a huge smile. Bassist Alistair Reit aka "Wheatus" due to an embarrassing moment for him in a high school talent show had short spiked hair, and deep green eyes. The rhythm guitarist was an African woman, with long hair in a plat. And playing lead guitar was Kevin. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead and there were marks left by the guitar strings on the tips of his fingers, where he'd been pressing on them. He smiled.

"Great run through, guys! We're gonna kick ass tonight." The band nodded together in approval. Teagan opened the mini fridge behind him and tossed everyone except Kevin a beer. The merry party grinned and laughed and patted each other on the back for a concert they hadn't even performed yet. They were mainly a cover band but had a few original songs. Ben and Kevin wrote well together.

"So, Kev," Teagan said, sitting down next to him. They had their backs to the guitar amps. "I saw you with a bird the other day. At that Asian place." Kevin chuckled.

"What of it?" He asked.

"Who is she?"

"She's Max."

"Alright. Good start. And who is Max? What's she like?"

"She's a waitress. And she's... Different." Kevin smiled. "I'll introduce her to you at the performance. That's easier than trying to tell you about her." Teagan looked at Kevin, then looked away and shook his head, smiling.

"I thought you didn't care about women."

"I don't. She just intrigues me more than most people."

Teagan stood up and looked at Kevin.

"I guess that's as close to love as it can be in your eyes."

"Probably. Gimme a hand, will you?" Teagan gripped Kevin's arm and pulled him to his feet. The two young men smiled.

"In any case, good luck to you, Kev."

"Thanks, I guess. Don't know what I need it for though."

"Oh, and take this." Teagan handed Kevin a small, silver, square package.

"Why do I need this?" Kevin asked.

"You'll thank me later." His friend answered.

"Alright guys," Ben called out. "Practice is over. You can do anything you want but be back here before five-thirty this evening. These are the rules for the rest of the day: no getting wasted, no drugs, do not injure yourself, do not die and do not break/lose/sell your equipment. Alright? Alright. Now get lost! You're all stinking up the hall."

"Max! You're going to make us late!" Caroline yelled. Max was going through a mess on the floor.

"Just gimme a second, okay? I'm looking for something!" She said as she flung another shirt over her shoulder. A black object shimmered on the bare patch of floor in front of her. Max picked up the guitar pick and stood up.

"Alright, got it. Let's go."

"How could something so small be important enough to make us late?" Caroline said as she put her hands on her hips.

"How do you know I didn't lose it for that exact purpose?" Max said with a grin. Caroline sighed.

"Let's just go."

The hall was full, but not completely packed. The girls were about three rows away from the stage. The lights were still on and they'd been there for about 30 minutes already. The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed. Those at the back stood on their toes to see the stage. A solitary figure walked out onto the stage. He was only a silhouette in the darkness. He tapped the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please," He said.

"There is a slight problem, with the band," The crowd muttered nervously. "The guitars caught fire and exploded earlier..." The hum of a guitar amp began.

"The bassist went home sick..." A low note was repeatedly being played in the background.

"And our drummer seems to have dented the cymbals," The sound of a closed high-hat being tapped now joined the cacophony. The curtain behind the man slowly began to open. He paused as all the sounds began to crescendo. The everything stopped. The man spoke.

"Only fucking with you! We are Lost In Translation!"

The spotlights now beamed into the stage, revealing the rest of the band. Every member broke into a solo at once and Kevin sprinted up to the cheering crowd as he blitzed his fingers across his guitar. The audience went crazy. Max and Caroline cheered and clapped and jumped along with the rest of the crowd. The solos died down and the band began there first song, a cover of Walk This Way by Aerosmith. It was a fitting first song as the concert was titled "Greatest Bands: Greatest Hits". The band performed with spunk and the crowd loved it. Hit after hit, solo after solo. Two voices cheered louder than the rest. Max and Caroline loved every second of the show. Unfortunately, after two and a half hours of playing, the band began their last song. It was Wayward Son by Kansas. The crowd went absolutely berserk, screaming even louder than before. They wept with the verses and sang the choruses and danced through the solos. The band played effortlessly. As the last note still rang, Kevin put down his guitar and dived into the crowd. He was passed around and eventually he came above Caroline and Max. He smiled at her.

"Told you I'd do something crazy."

Max sighed, but smiled.

"You didn't even know we were here. Why'd you do it anyway?" Kevin grinned.

"I knew you'd come," he said. "I could feel it!" He yelled as the crowd took him back to the stage. The girls laughed. As Kevin got on to the stage, he joined the other members in a goodnight, and they all retreated backstage. The hall emptied fast. Max and Caroline began their walk home, going on and on about the performance.

"Oh crap!" Max exclaimed.

"What?" Asked Caroline.

"I forgot to give Kevin his pick."

A man stepped towards them just before they entered the apartment building.

"You can give it to me now if you want," Kevin said. "And while you're at it, do you mind if I crash with you tonight? I'm afraid I haven't got a place to stay." He grinned sheepishly.

The girls looked at each other. Caroline then looked back at Kevin.

"Fine," She said. "But only for a night. And you'd better behave."


	4. He's Weird Alright

"So Ben says, 'My sister doesn't just sleep with anyone, guys!' and Teags looks up from his game and yells, 'He's right! She told me and all those other guys from the club the same thing last night!'" Max and Caroline laughed as Kevin Came to the end of his story. It was midnight and the rain had begun again. The trio had been chatting away since they'd got up to the small apartment and it didn't seem like they were going to stop. Kevin told stories of his time spent in other countries with his band, and the girls told him of their various adventures in New York. Kevin had pulled a bag of **crisps** (he had explained that since they were **his** snacks, then they would be referred to as they should be/he wanted them to be) out of his backpack, which also contained some shower stuff, spare underwear, a Nintendo DS, a jacket, and a book. The girls managed to find a bottle of wine (they had no idea where it came from) and were dosing it out between each other. When they offered Kevin, he politely declined. Now, the crisps were gone, the wine bottle was reaching its bottom. Both girls were feeling rather light headed and Kevin's jokes had become much funnier.

"Kev, Kev, Kev," Max slurred as she tried to finish laughing. "Why no booze, dude?" Kevin smiled.

"I don't drink," he said. Max's jaw dropped.

"You don't DRINK?!" she yelled.

Kevin shook his head.

"I quit a long time ago," he said. Max stared in disbelief.

"You're missing out on so much fun!" She gasped. Kevin turned away and became solemn. The girls became confused. After a moment, Kevin spoke up.

"I quit for a reason," he said. "And I don't plan on starting again." Max and Caroline were quiet. The crazy, funny, loud young man they were getting to know had disappeared and been replaced by someone much more serious. Suddenly, Kevin stood up and smiled.

"Alright, I'm tapping out. Where do I crash?"

Caroline shrugged and gestured to the couch she was sitting on.

"Perfect," Kevin said as he pulled a sleeping bag off a velcro patch behind his bag. "This always comes in handy." Max laughed. Partially because everything is funny when you're drunk. Partially because she was confused at Kevin's sudden turn seconds earlier. What hid behind the young man's carefree demeanor?

Caroline couldn't sleep that night. Every time she closed her eyes she could see Kevin's face. Hear his laugh. Smell his scent.

 _Gross, Caroline, don't be weird._

She laughed at herself. Then her thoughts returned to all things Kevin.

 _He's so strange. One moment he can be a child, the next a fifty year old philosopher, and everything in between. He knows so much, but you wouldn't realize it looking at him. He's smart. Unconventionally so. But still smart._

She grinned dirtily.

 _His arms are rather impressive too. And he looks great in a sweat-drenched shirt._

As Caroline lay thinking to herself, Max did the same across the apartment.

 _He's a rocker. But he doesn't drink. That doesn't make sense! He should be sharing heroin or acid with me by now but he's not for any of it! What the hell?!_

Once Max had given up on trying to understand this contradictory way of life, her mind turned to other Kevin related thoughts.

 _What a weirdo. I've never met anyone so strange…_

She lay there for a bit, thoughtlessly listening to the night sounds.

… _is that why my pulse gets faster when I think about him? Or is that because of his body? Is it weird that I feel like smiling whenever he talks? Or that I don't want to miss a word of what he says? His smile makes my legs jelly. And he gives me butterflies. And chills. And he makes me blush. I can't think properly with him._

She rolled onto her side.

 _How does he do this to me?_

She heard a door opening in the main room of the apartment and scrambled out of bed.

"I swear, if this is Oleg again, I'll neuter him," Max growled as she opened her door enough to peek through. She saw Kevin carefully shut the main door behind him as he snuck out of the apartment.

"What's that weirdo doing now?" She muttered, quietly re-opening the door and stepping out into the middle of the apartment building. She heard footsteps on the stairs above her and began to follow Kevin up to the roof. As she stepped into the cool night air, Max saw Kevin standing at the edge of the building. She was about to call out to him and ask him what the hell he thought he was doing when he did something that she would never have guessed he would do, if she had to guess. He balled his hands into fists, threw them to his sides and began to scream. Loudly. He screamed and screamed until he fell to his knees, and then he took an uneasy breath and continued to scream. Soon, the screaming began to die down, and became loud sobbing, with an occasional yell. Kevin then turned his face to the sky and shuddered with each breath he took. He was quiet now. Max felt a drop of water lightly fall on her nose. It had begun to drizzle. She was shocked. Those screams were real. Screams of deep pain. And Max knew all about deep pain. She quickly reclaimed her senses and walked over to where Kevin kneeled. He had his head down now. She got down and hugged him from behind before he could turn to see her.

"Max, did you-"

"Sh-sh-sh," she quieted him. "Yeah. I saw."

Kevin tried to break her embrace. She pulled him closer.

"I won't tell anyone, so you can relax. Just...let me do this. No one ever did it for me but it's what I always want whenever I'm like this,"

Kevin stopped struggling and his shoulders relaxed. The two of them sat like that for a minute, as the rain picked up. Max released Kevin as he turned to face her. He didn't look her in the eye. Couldn't.

"Th… thanks," he whispered. Max smiled.

"Hey," she said. "Hey, look at me,"

Kevin looked up.

"No problem."

Kevin's deep blue eyes brimmed with tears as he began to smile back at her. Then he stopped. Max did too. The pair stared at each other for a moment. Then, their hands slowly joined, fingers interlocking. The two brought their faces towards each other, and began to kiss. Delicately. They didn't kiss for long. Only a few seconds. As they broke away, Max saw that Kevin had stopped crying. She smiled. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning streaked through the sky, and the appropriate thunderclap followed shortly. The duo stood up as the rain suddenly bucketed onto them.

"C'mon, you idiot," Max chirped. "Let's get back to bed before we end up in the Land of Oz.


	5. Sing it With Me!

Max awoke on the couch. She gazed lazily around the room as she processed where she was, and why she was there. With a sudden jolt of realisation, Max sat bolt upright, with deer-caught-in-headlight eyes. Then she groaned.

"Did I seriously just have pity sex?" she asked herself.

"Nah, don't worry," Kevin called from the window. Max turned to face him. "Besides, if you did have pity sex with me, then you took advantage of me. And you aren't that type of person, are you?" He smiled. Max chuckled and threw herself back onto the couch.

"So... " she said. "We just slept together? But not SLEPT slept together?" Kevin nodded.

"Lay side by side in the darkness and lulled each other to sleep..." Kevin paused dramatically. Then laughed. Max blushed beneath the sleeping bag. Kevin slept shirtless, and Max would be lying if she said that she hadn't enjoyed the view. Kevin was surprisingly fit. He had good set of abs, firm pecs, and lean, large biceps. Max bit her lip.

"You alright?" Kevin asked. Max realized she had been staring and quickly looked away.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. I was just..." she thought for a moment. "Admiring the view." Oh shit, she thought. Wrong choice of words. She held her breath.

"It IS a beautiful day," Kevin said. "I've always enjoyed the rain." Max sighed with relief.

"How long has it been raining now?" She asked.

" 'Bout three days." Kevin replied. Max groaned.

"Ugh! Why won't it stop? It's been raining since... since..."

"Since I showed up?"

"Exactly!" Max laughed. Kevin leant against wall and smirked.

"Stupid English weather." Max continued to giggle. Kevin shrugged and apologised.

"Alright, I'm starving. What have you got to eat?" Kevin inquired. Max thought for a bit.

"Well, we don't have many groceries right now. But..." she hesitated.

"But?"

"We have pop tarts." Max cringed with the effort it took to tell Kevin about her special treat. Kevin grinned.

"Thanks. But I was hoping for something a little... filling. I'm not a fan of pop tarts."

Max gasped as if she'd been mortally wounded.

"How dare you insult the magical flavours of pop tarts?!" She exclaimed, standing and striding over to Kevin. He laughed.

"You think this is a joke?" Max continued, grabbing the transgressor's shoulders and shaking him. "Pop tarts are God's gift to mankind! They're..." she stuttered as Kevin gripped her wrists and looked her in the eyes, smiling.

"They're..." Max tried again but couldn't finish. Kevin moved the young woman's arms to her sides and leant down to kiss her. Max quickly closed her eyes and kissed back. It was a soft kiss. A quiet kiss. And, to Max, it ended way too quickly. Kevin pulled his head away, let go of her hands, and went back to rummaging through the cupboards. Max stood for a moment, then yelled silently and jumped up and down while Kevin had his back turned. Just then, Caroline poked her head out of her room. She strutted over, ignoring Max, and stood next to Kevin.

"So," she asked "What did you and Miss Negative get up to last night?"

Kevin smiled. Max silently screamed again.

"Oh, you know, the usual. Some wine, a poem just for me, a candlelit dinner, a picnic blanket on the roof. Shame it was raining, hey Max?" Max rolled her eyes in an attempt to become herself again.

"Shut up," was the best insult she could retaliate with.

"What's the matter?" Caroline teased. "Cat got your tongue? Or do you have Kevin's?"

At this, Kevin began to laugh uncontrollably, but Max went red with rage and stormed sulkily to the bathroom.

"Oops… perhaps that was a bit much…" Caroline said nervously. Kevin began to calm down and eventually managed to stop laughing.

"Maybe you should apologise," he suggested.

"Maybe WE should apologise," Caroline insisted.

"WE? I didn't do anything!"

"It's a we thing, she's angry with both of us,"

"That's so unfair! Why?!"

"That's just the way she is," Caroline knocked on the bathroom door while Kevin muttered to himself. "Max, honey, I'm sorry. Please come out," she said.

"No. Go away." Max replied curtly. Caroline shrugged. "We tried."

"Seriously? That's all you're gonna do?" Kevin asked.

"She'll be out in a bit. She can't stay in there all day,"

"I can and I will!" Max yelled from the bathroom. Caroline shrugged again and poured herself a glass of 2 days expired _Country Fresh!_ orange juice. Kevin leant against the counter and thought for a moment. Then he walked over to his back pack, put his clothes from the previous day.

"Come on," he said. "I have an idea."

Caroline had dressed in a hurry, and she and Kevin had left the building, with Kevin's guitar.

"Where are we going?" Caroline asked.

"First, to Teagan. He's got all the band kit in his van. Then, to the biggest traffic circle we can find. With the most people around it,"

"I know one where there are a lot of restaurants and stores surrounding it,"

"Perfect." It took the pair half an hour to get to Teagan's hotel. It wasn't the fanciest building, but it was nice. Teagan opened up his van for them.

"What do you need?" he asked.

"Gimme a mic and the battery and two mini amps."

"Coming right up," Teagan disappeared into the sea of equipment and returned with the requested items.

"Thanks, Teags. I'll see you around,"

"Hey, if you get laid, I get told first. Got it?" Teagan joked. Kevin grinned and nodded. Then he and Caroline walked off.

"Okay, where's this circle you were talking about?" Kevin asked.

"Follow me." Caroline answered. After getting rather lost, the intrepid pair found themselves at restaurant covered street. The circle was at the center of the restaurant and store area. Kevin set the battery and amps down, then handed Caroline the microphone and stand.

"Set this up, would you?" he asked. Caroline nodded, and Kevin whipped out his guitar. He plugged his cable into one amp, and the microphone cable into the other.

"Do you know Wonderwall?" Kevin asked, pic in his mouth.

"I know it, but not all the lyrics," Caroline answered. "Why?" Kevin walked over to a restaurant and asked for a phone. He promised he'd only need it for five or six minutes. As he walked back to the circle, he typed something into it.

"Here," he said, handing the phone to Caroline. The lyrics to Wonderwall were lit up on the screen. Kevin turned the amps on and opened his case in front of him.

"Ready?" he asked. Before Caroline could ask what she should be ready for, Kevin launched into the song. He played the opening and then nodded his head to Caroline. She nervously began to sing.

"Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna give it back to you," her voice shook a bit, along with her hands.

"Relax," Kevin whispered. Caroline nodded and noticed the restaurant-goers and shoppers who had began to watch.

"By now you should've somehow realized what you have to do," she sang. More people turned their eyes to the pair on the circle. Some began to smile. Caroline wasn't so nervous anymore. Kevin was already dancing as he played.

"I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do, about you no-ow," A crowd had gathered on the streets around the circle, and had begun to dance with Kevin. As Caroline sang, people began to join her, and clapped along. Her grin spread across her face and Kevin laughed. The lyrics echoed off of the buildings around them as the crowd belted them out. Caroline laughed. She hadn't had this much fun in a while. Kevin was going mad, running around the circle as he played. They sang, and sang, and sang, and Kevin had to repeat the chorus three extra times because the crowd didn't want to stop singing. Neither did Caroline.

"'Cause maybe-e-e, you're gonna be the one that saves me! And after all… you're my wonderwa-a-all!" she sang. Kevin let his chord ring, bouncing between buildings, and then he finished with a quick strum of his guitar. The crowd applauded loudly. Kevin grabbed Caroline's hand and raised it above her head, then made her bow with him. People rushed into the street to shake hands with them and throw notes and coins into Kevin's guitar case. They made requests, and Kevin agreed to play a little longer.

"Alright," he called into the crowd. "Stop me if you don't know this one!"

Caroline and Kevin performed until late afternoon. Eventually, they decided that they had to go. Plus, the amps weren't fully charged and had died. So the pair had packed everything up, thanked everyone for their time and donations, and left.

"Alright, we made a good profit," Kevin said, shaking his guitar case. "Where's a jewelry store?"

"There's one just down here," Caroline said, leading the way. It was a small store, and Kevin didn't have to look long to find something he liked.

"What do you think?" he asked. He was pointing to a small necklace. It was very simple. Silver, with a flat, silver heart attached to it. Caroline smiled.

"I think it's perfect," she said. Kevin grinned and bought the necklace. As they walked back to the apartment, Kevin handed Caroline the rest of the money they'd made.

"For your help today," he said. Caroline smiled.

"Thanks," she said. "I'm glad Max and I went to your concert."

"So am I." Kevin replied. Once they got back to the girls' apartment; They found Max playing on Kevin's Nintendo.

"I deleted your Pokémon saves," she said coolly. "Hope you don't mind." Kevin held his breath and clenched his fists, white-knuckled. He began to count to himself quietly.

"He doesn't mind," Caroline said quickly, and put a hand on her fuming companion's shoulder. "Right, Kev?"

"... six… seven… eight... " Caroline laughed nervously and punched Kevin in the arm. Kevin sighed.

"Sorry about this morning," he said. Max didn't look up. Kevin pulled the necklace out of his pocket. "I got you something," Max closed the Nintendo, but didn't look up.

"It's shiney…" Kevin said in a sing-song voice. Max looked up. Then rolled her eyes, taking the necklace.

"You asshole. How'd you get this?" she asked.

"Kevin worked his ass off busking for it, didn't you, Kev?" Caroline answered before Kevin could say anything. Kevin look at Caroline confusedly as she nodded energetically.

"Um, yeah. And I bought it with the money I made," he said. Max smiled, then stood up to hug Kevin.

"Apology accepted."


	6. Walk in the Rain

**Hi, everyone. I've never done this before but I figured I'd give it a go and reach out to my readers (who I would like to thank for their awesome support) and ask for their opinions. I also want to apologise for taking so long with this chapter, I've been dealing with some personal stuff but I'm back now. I'd originally intended to make this next chapter the last, including some exposition, but I've now decided to make this a purely expositional chapter. But I would like your opinions: shall I end it in the next chapter? I plan on doing a couple of oneshots afterwards, unless you want me to just continue this series and developing a plot or multiple plots for it. Please let me know what you'd like to see in future. Also, I apologise for the length of this chapter but I only wanted to use it for exposition since I'm not sure whether the next chapter will be the last yet, so please communicate with me. I don't bite. Thanks you!**

 **~Reckless**

The now normalised rain pattered against the large windows of the Williamsburg diner, and a small stream ran past it's door. Max sighed. Business hadn't got any better. A twang sounded behind her. She rolled her eyes.

"Would you shut up already?" she said, turning. Kevin grinned and turned the volume knob on his guitar to 10, then launched into a solo. Caroline, appearing from the kitchen, strolled past and turned his amp off.

"Hey!" Kevin whined.

"This is a business, Kev. Han says you're scaring off customers." she said, checking that every table had a specials menu on it- the special today being a guaranteed fully cooked poached egg. Oleg was improving. Kevin huffed and turned his amp back on, then began strumming the intro to Friends. Caroline glared at him. He grinned.

"What customers?" he asked, before receiving a menu to the face. With a sigh of submission, Kevin unplugged his amp.

"I'm bored," he grunted. "Why are we still here? You're not making any money. Let's fuck off to a movie or something."

"I know this is a foreign concept to you, but this is a JOB. It pays RENT. I don't do my job, I can't pay rent. I can't pay rent, I live on the streets." Max explained.

"Just do what I do," Kevin said. Max raised an eyebrow in question.

"Flirt with some bird until she lets you live in her flat." Kevin nimbly dodged the menu this time. He laughed and stood up.

"I'm out. Cheers."

"Where are you going?" Caroline asked. Kevin shrugged. Caroline raised her eyebrows and looked at Max, who rolled her eyes, then stood up too.

"Fuck it, I'll go with you. Blondie can pay for electricity this month." she said. Caroline laughed.

"You two have fun," she said, waving them away. Kevin skipped toward the door and held it open. A gust brought rain pouring onto him. Max laughed and sashayed over after producing an umbrella from beneath the counter. She waved goodbye to Caroline, then stepped outside with Kevin.

"So," she asked him as they walked down the soaking sidewalk, hugging the wall to keep out of the wet. "Where are we headed?" Max asked. Kevin shrugged.

"Figured we could go see the Power Rangers movie." Max made a vomiting sound. He laughed. She laughed too, glad to hear that he was joking.

"No, seriously…" he started. She punched him in the arm.

"No." She said. Kevin sighed and hung his head. They turned the corner, and he kicked a small branch. It slid into a gutter and floated past them.

"Truth be told I was hoping to talk to you," Kevin suddenly said. Max looked his way and felt the familiar sensation of uncertainty in her stomach. Some important information was coming and she wasn't sure she wanted to hear what she thought he'd say. "I fly back to London in two days." That wasn't what she thought was coming. Why?

"Okay," she said. Not okay.

"You're okay with that?" Kevin asked. He stopped walking and turned to her.

"Yeah, sure. Why wouldn't I be?" she asked. Kevin held her gaze for a minute.

"You know, it's a funny thing about people. Anyone can make their lips lie," he said.

"I didn't l-"

"But it's impossible to make eye's lie." Kevin's words had a certain weight to them, and he'd lost the carefree atmosphere about him. Max tried to argue again, then looked down when her words failed her.

"I'm going to tell you my story," Kevin said, almost reluctantly. "It'll explain what happened on the roof the other night." He shoved his hands into his pockets, turned, and began walking again, not waiting for Max. Coming out of her daze, she jogged to quickly catch up. They walked in silence for a bit, passing a few restaurants and stores. Kevin cleared his throat.

"I had a sister. Had," he began. "And I had a father. Had," Some rain blew into their faces and Max flinched. Kevin didn't even wiped it off his face. "My father had always been a heavy drinker, especially after mom died. He was a good man though. Just not as good when he wasn't sober. My sister was young when that started and when she was old enough… actually, before then, she developed her own habit. My dad always discouraged her while he was still sober, but once he had a few in him they were drinking buddies. And he'd never remember. I drank too. But I drank alone. And I gave my sister hell. I loved her. I couldn't stand watching her waste all her time drinking with my old man when she should've been studying," Kevin had walked into the rain now. It battered against him but he didn't seem to notice. He was drenched. "Two years ago, on that same night as the one on the roof… we were taking care of our dad. Supposed to be. I was in the cellar, on my fifth...or was it sixth? I can't remember. I was going through some old letters from mom. Always a bad idea. I'd left my father upstairs with my sister. Too drunk to care. I passed out," Kevin stopped and they walked in silence again. He tugged at his sleeve. After a few minutes, he began again. "I woke up and found the car gone," he said. Then waited again. He began to breathe a faster and raised his voice. "I thought that my dad had gone to bed and that my sister had left without me. But her purse was still in the kitchen, and my dad wasn't in the house," Faster. Louder. "I called around but no one knew where they were. And then…" he swallowed. He'd began to pant. "I got a call… From my insurance company. They found my car totaled against a tree, five kilometers from my dad's house. Two from the bar." Kevin was almost yelling now. He hadn't looked at Max once while he spoke but she hadn't taken her eyes off of him. She knew which were raindrops and which were tears. "In the front," he choked. "Were two bodies. A woman in the driver's seat. An man next to her," And Kevin stopped. "I lost them both," he said quietly. "And that meant I had no one left. I fell into a deeply alcoholic state for a week then never touched drink again. I found my refuge in music. But I'm still haunted," Max stepped into the rain and pulled Kevin down to hold him. He hugged her back tightly. "I figured I could tell you since I'll probably never see you again." Max suddenly felt a lump in her throat, and strained to swallow it. Then she kissed Kevin. They stood in the rain together, Max in her work clothes and Kevin in the same beaten denim jacket he'd been wearing since he'd met her. Then she pulled away and looked into his eyes. She smiled.

"C'mon, you nerd," she said, dragging him behind her. "Let's go see your stupid Power Rangers movie."


End file.
